So I will start by stating the obvious… Yes it has been a little while since I took his 4 year portraits, especially considering he turned 4 back in November. But I think I finally realized what has been holding me back. This has been the year that he went from little toddler to big/ little boy. His preschool class next year will be one that prepares him for kindergarten, he’s only a little over a year from being ready for kindergarten. I won’t lie its been a hard one for me. Really hard!! He has grown in so many ways, so many great ways, over the year it’s kind of crazy to look back.

Newborn-1 year

I could tell you all how he has grown over the year, like literally grown, a lot! Or I could go on about how emotionally and socially he has grown beyond more than I can imagine. He has made so many friends at preschool, he listens, cares, loves, feels empathy, and tries to be the best version of himself everyday, a lesson he is teaching me as every moment passes. This winter we shoveled snow for the neighbors when we could and during the one storm he told me he wanted to shovel the whole side of the street for people who need our help and hadn’t done it yet. I was floored and so proud, we spent 4 hours outside shoveling. I was also really glad I sprung for the better snow gear on his part this year otherwise there is no way we would have been able to stay out that long with out being worried, and checking every few minutes. Although I did check often just incase to make sure he stayed warm, don’t worry. He genuinely cares about the people around us and all over the world really. He makes me a better person, or at least inspires the efforts on my part.

I could go on and on about what he has decided to dive into this year and learn all about. He is still into space and holds classes where he explains the universe to the people around him. He even finds a way for people who don’t understand to grasp it, and uses whatever examples he can find around him to ensure he has numerous visual aids. His most recent class was on black matter/ dark matter and whether or not he believed it was in space and the impact it has on gravity.

He has started over the past 6 months reading and recognizing words and names. Now he is sounding things out so he can read the names of his current fling, whether its space, the 50 states, or volcanoes. He currently has 8 favorite volcanoes, and I think I can name them on a daily basis with him, so its nice to be learning along with him.

We have also been working with different art mediums this year. I have let him paint with oils; which is much different then watercolors or his normal acrylics. He loves painting as you may have guessed it, volcanoes, and the universe. Occasionally we branch out and paint a submarine with a volcano erupting in the background, or the flowers that he painted for Ms. Su, one of our many amazing neighbors.

Overall though he is growing up so fast. And I know I was warned it would happen. But I think no matter how many times someone tells you to be careful it goes by too quickly. And even if you are lucky enough to keep that in mind as the moments/ days/ years pass, it still goes by too quickly. So with this year being our final year (year and a half) before kindergarten, I have decided to make it my mission to slow down. Focus on what matters. We will see how I feel come next year. Although I must admit, no matter how slow this year goes, Ill never be ready for kindergarten.